This weekend is arguably the biggest of the year in racing, with multiple flagship events on the calendar.

On Sunday, fans will be treated to Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix at 9 a.m. ET, followed by the Indianapolis 500 at 12:45 p.m. Those up for more can tune in to NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway at 6 p.m.

While NASCAR still dominates U.S. racing, a Harris Poll commissioned by Front Office Sports found that F1 has a foothold in the U.S. market.

• F1 is of interest to 34% of U.S. adults and 76% of NASCAR fans.
• Only 25% of NASCAR fans would prefer to watch an F1 race than a NASCAR race.

Many F1 executives and team principals have noted that an American driver could help draw U.S. interest in the series, and the numbers bear that out: 35% of U.S. F1 fans and 16% of all U.S. adults said they would be more interested in F1 if it had American drivers.

Huge Crowds Incoming

The Indy 500 is expecting a crowd of over 300,000 this Sunday. However, live local broadcasts are likely to be blacked out to juice ticket sales, unless the event fully sells out.

Monaco, one of F1’s most iconic races, is estimated to bring $110 million in economic activity to the city-state.

However, with stiff competition for racing sites and a street track that makes passing exceedingly difficult, there is talk of replacing Monaco on F1’s calendar.

Whatever happens in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final (9 a.m. ET) at Paris’ Stade de France, two of the world’s richest clubs will only get richer. 

The match features the world’s most valuable soccer team, Real Madrid, against the fourth-most valuable, Liverpool, per Forbes.

• The Spanish club saw its valuation grow 7% year-over-year to $5.1 billion, edging rival Barcelona, which has a $5 billion valuation, for the top spot.
• The two clubs are the sixth- and seventh-most valuable teams in the world behind the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, and three NBA teams.
• While the La Liga clubs own the top two spots, the Premier League has the strongest overall presence, with six clubs in the top 11.

The average value of the top 20 soccer teams grew 10% year-over-year to $2.5 billion. All of the top teams play in Spain, the U.K., Germany, or Italy.

Millions at Stake

The two teams are playing for more than just bragging rights. The winner collects $22.7 million, while the loser will take home $17.6 million as Champions League runner-up.

The tournament winnings are spread among the top-performing clubs, with each team in the Round of 16 securing $10.9 million.

Both finalists are in familiar territory, with Liverpool winning the 2018-2019 tournament and Real Madrid taking the three prior.

A corruption scandal nixed what looked like a done deal for Angel Stadium, and neighboring Long Beach is looking to swoop in.

The Southern California city is presenting itself as an alternative for the MLB team, following a vote by Anaheim’s city council to stop a deal with team owner Arte Moreno to purchase the stadium and surrounding land.

• Long Beach’s city manager issued a statement on Wednesday stating that the city is prepared to reopen discussions about building a stadium for the Angels.
• It tried to lure the Angels in 2019 with plans for a stadium and surrounding commerce district on a 55-acre waterfront parcel.
• Negotiations ended in December 2019, when the team entered exclusive talks with Anaheim.

The Angels’ lease in Anaheim runs to 2029, and the team has a trio of three-year options that could extend their stay to 2038.

Fallen Angels

The team appeared to have a deal in place with Anaheim in which a company controlled by Moreno would purchase the stadium and surrounding land for $320 million. 

That was before an FBI investigation alleged that city mayor Harry Sidhu provided confidential information to the team while seeking a $1 million campaign donation, and then obstructed the investigation. Sidhu, who was up for reelection in November, resigned on Monday but denied any wrongdoing.

Sony is projecting it will pocket $300 million from PC gaming titles in the coming fiscal year. 

The tech giant, which reported $80 million in PC net sales in FY2021, is projecting a significant jump thanks to its agreement in January to acquire Bungie — the original creator of “Halo” and current developer of “Destiny” — in a deal valued at $3.6 billion. The deal, which will see Bungie continue to independently develop and publish games, is expected to close this year.

• Sony expects roughly 15% to 20% of its releases in the fiscal year ahead to be on PC.
• By 2025, the conglomerate expects that figure to reach around 30%. 

Despite the desire to embrace PC gaming, Sony has only announced one upcoming title for PC so far, “Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection,” which has yet to receive a release date. 

Sony deepening its ties in PC gaming allows the Tokyo-based company to expand its reach in a global gaming market that is projected to reach $222 billion in 2022, per Data.ai. The analytics platform estimates that PC and Mac gaming will reach $40 billion, the same as last year. 

PC titles also help Sony alleviate supply chain constraints, which have hampered the company’s PS5 sales. As a result, Sony has begun ramping up production of PS4s to help cover the demand.

Spreading the Wealth

Sony has not only invested in itself but other major players in the gaming industry. Last month, Epic Games raised $2 billion, split evenly between Sony and Lego Group owner Kirkbi.